4 Dimensional Single Piece Miniaturized Blood Rotor - 4DbloodROT

Project summary

Heart failure is an epidemic of the 21st century and occurs in 33% of the population above 55 years, with a 30-days-mortality of >11%. Heart transplantation is gold standard for end-stage heart insufficiency, but donor hearts cover only <0.5% of the demand. Alternatives are mechanical heart assist systems (e.g. ventricular assist devices, VADs) during the drug-supported regeneration phase of the patient’s heart. However, VADs struggle with device-induced thrombus formation due to inadequate blood flow dynamics of the blood pump rotor, leading to the definition of the 4DbloodROT project. Focus is the R&D on stereolithography-based additive manufacturing, novel hemocompatible materials and surface functionalization, all-together strongly extending the freedom for blood-flow-compatible design of rotors with novel exceptional biomimetic complexity (in 3D-shape & stiffness (=4D)). Final result is an in vitro optimized rotor design as basis for extended in vivo and clinical testing.